Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB550 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb0550
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 550
8	8	G1 5lr2276
9	9	HB 769/24 – W&M
10	10	By: Delegate Feldmark
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 22, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Ways and Means
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Local Public Campaign Financing – Expansion to Additional Offices 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of authorizing the governing body of a county to establish a system of 3
21	21	public campaign financing for certain offices after the governing body of the county 4
22	22	has implemented a system of public campaign financing for elective offices in the 5
23	23	executive or legislative branches of county government for at least one complete 6
24	24	election cycle; and generally relating to the expansion of local public campaign 7
25	25	financing. 8
26	26
27	27	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
28	28	Article – Election Law 10
29	29	Section 13–505 11
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
31	31	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
32	32
33	33	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
34	34	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15
35	35
36	36	Article – Election Law 16
37	37
38	38	13–505. 17
39	39
40	40	(a) In this section, “contested election committee” means a contested election 18
41	41	committee established under Title 12, Subtitle 3 of this article. 19
42	42
43	43	(b) (1) (I) Subject to the provisions of this section, the governing body of a 20
44	44	county may establish, by law, a system of public campaign financing for elective offices in 21
45	45	the executive or legislative branches of county government. 22
46	46
47	47	(II) SUBJECT TO THE PROVIS IONS OF THIS SECTION , AFTER THE 23 2 HOUSE BILL 550
48	48
49	49
50	50	GOVERNING BODY OF A COUNTY HAS IMPLEMENTED A SYSTEM OF PUBLIC CAMPAIGN 1
51	51	FINANCING ESTABLISHE D UNDER SUBPARAGRAPH (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH FO R AT 2
52	52	LEAST ONE COMPLETE E LECTION CYCLE , THE GOVERNING BODY O F THE COUNTY 3
53	53	MAY ESTABLISH , BY LAW, A SYSTEM OF PUBLIC C AMPAIGN FINANC ING FOR ONE OR 4
54	54	MORE OF THE FOLLOWIN G OFFICES: 5
55	55
56	56	1. STATE’S ATTORNEY; 6
57	57
58	58	2. SHERIFF; 7
59	59
60	60	3. REGISTER OF WILLS ; 8
61	61
62	62	4. JUDGE OF THE CIRCUIT COURT; 9
63	63
64	64	5. CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT; 10
65	65
66	66	6. JUDGE OF THE ORPHANS ’ COURT; OR 11
67	67
68	68	7. AN ELECTED MEMBER OF THE COUNTY BOARD OF 12
69	69	EDUCATION. 13
70	70
71	71	(2) A system of public financing established under paragraph (1) of this 14
72	72	subsection may include public financing of a contested election committee. 15
73	73
74	74	(3) When establishing a system of public campaign financing for [elective 16
75	75	offices in the executive or legislative branches of county government] AN OFFICE UNDER 17
76	76	PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION , the governing body of a county shall: 18
77	77
78	78	(i) specify the criteria that are to be used to determine whether an 19
79	79	individual is eligible for public campaign financing; and 20
80	80
81	81	(ii) provide the funding and staff necessary for the operation, 21
82	82	administration, and auditing of the system of public campaign financing. 22
83	83
84	84	(c) A system of public campaign financing enacted under subsection (b) of this 23
85	85	section: 24
86	86
87	87	(1) shall provide for participation of candidates in public campaign 25
88	88	financing on a strictly voluntary basis; 26
89	89
90	90	(2) may not regulate candidates who choose not to participate in public 27
91	91	campaign financing; 28
92	92
93	93	(3) shall prohibit the use of public campaign financing for any campaign 29
94	94	except a campaign for [county] LOCAL elective office; 30 HOUSE BILL 550 3
95	95
96	96
97	97
98	98	(4) shall require a candidate who accepts public campaign financing to: 1
99	99
100	100	(i) establish a campaign finance entity solely for the campaign for 2
101	101	[county] LOCAL elective office; and 3
102	102
103	103	(ii) use funds from that campaign finance entity only for the 4
104	104	campaign for [county] LOCAL elective office; 5
105	105
106	106	(5) shall prohibit a candidate who accepts public campaign financing from 6
107	107	transferring funds: 7
108	108
109	109	(i) to the campaign finance entity established to finance the 8
110	110	campaign for [county] LOCAL elective office from any other campaign finance entity 9
111	111	established for the candidate; and 10
112	112
113	113	(ii) from the campaign finance entity established to finance the 11
114	114	campaign for [county] LOCAL elective office to any other campaign finance entity; 12
115	115
116	116	(6) shall provide for a public election fund for [county] LOCAL elective 13
117	117	offices that is administered by the chief financial officer of the county; and 14
118	118
119	119	(7) shall be subject to regulation and oversight by the State Board to ensure 15
120	120	conformity with State law and policy to the extent practicable. 16
121	121
122	122	(d) A system of public campaign financing enacted under subsection (b) of this 17
123	123	section may: 18
124	124
125	125	(1) provide for more stringent regulation of campaign finance activity by 19
126	126	candidates who choose to accept public campaign financing, including contributions, 20
127	127	expenditures, reporting, and campaign material, than is provided for by State law; 21
128	128
129	129	(2) provide for administrative penalties for violations, in accordance with § 22
130	130	10–202 of the Local Government Article; and 23
131	131
132	132	(3) allow a publicly financed candidate to transfer any amount of funds 24
133	133	from the candidate’s campaign finance entity to the candidate’s contested election 25
134	134	committee. 26
135	135
136	136	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 27
137	137	1, 2025. 28
138	138